27 I shall be Released (1/2)

Location: Alfheim

-x-

The sound of rolling thunder echoed high, lightning splitting up into the air in a fundamental breaking of the law of nature. Birds broke out into a flock of panic, swooping outwards from the white petaled trees and flying into the violet colored sky.

Another blast of lightning scorched upwards, splitting apart any clouds who dared to get in its way.

As the thunder that followed subsided, a voice could be heard screaming, ”To the left!”

Thor, God of Thunder, looked to his left, only to see no one coming.

”Not your left, my left!” Screamed the irritated voice several yards away.

Grunting in annoyance, Thor turned his attention towards that direction, spinning the hammer Mjolnir, channeled lightning before using his hammer to direct it into the cluster of Dark Elves dashing towards him and his companion.

While the lightning blasted the Dark Elves, Thor said, ”Maybe be specific then?”

His companion, a Light Elf with long bleach blonde hair and a face made for royalty, scoffed as he pointed his blasters towards a duo of Dark Elves, ”Oh shut up.”

As Thor threw his lightning incased hammer towards the surviving elves, he said, ”You know, for an elf named Honeypot, you're really sour in the personality department.”

”Honeyshot,” The elf corrected as he blasted another group of Dark Elves, ”It's Ivory Honeyshot.”

”Same difference.” Thor muttered as he summoned Mjolnir back to him.

”You know the stories I've heard about you never included just how agitating you are.” Ivory said, ducking beneath a sword swing.

”And the stories I have heard about you…oh wait, there are no stories.” The God of Thunder shot back, thrusting his hammer into the cranium of an unlucky Dark Elf, decapitating him on impact.

As the Dark Elves' numbers began to dwindle further and further, Ivory said to himself, ”I can't believe the All-Mother forced me to help a buffoon like you. Why she fears you and the Raven King, I'll never know.”

Thor, hearing that, smirked as he saw the Dark Elves had gathered together and were charging towards him. Channeling lightning into Mjolnir, he spun the hammer in his hand at an incredible pace, the hammer thwooming mightily before swinging up, his body being lifted off the ground at an incredible speed. Eventually, several hundred feet above the trees they'd been fighting in, he came to a stop. Entering his freefall, he positioned the Mjolnir in front of him as he dropped down on the group of Dark Elves.

Ivory watched in awe as Thor landed, the ground exploding as though he were a meteor made of pure lightning and thunder, breaking the Alfheimian earth with ease.

Stepping out of the crater he'd created, Thor still had his smirk in place as he looked to Ivory, ”That's why.”

The elf could only sigh, accepting the show of force as he looked around for any survivors, ”These terrorists were foolish to think they could hole themselves off here.”

Thor hefted his hammer onto his shoulder as he said, ”They lost any kind of leadership with Malekith. I doubt they sincerely thought they would succeed.”

”Right.” Ivory sighed, ”I wonder if there are any more of these Dark Elves out there. I'd hate to think I'd participated in exterminating a race of people.”

”Likewise.” Thor admitted somberly.

”Well, let's return to the palace-”

”Wow, this place sure is beautiful. For a battleground, anyway.”

Thor and Ivory both took battle positions as the voice suddenly spoke up behind them. Thor, seeing who it was, relaxed his swinging arm, ”Naruto?”

Naruto, scratching the back of his head, laughed as he said, ”How's it going, Thor?”

Ivory looked back and forth between the two before finally landing on Thor, ”You know this person?”

”Yes, this is Naruto Uzumaki. He is a warrior from space…or something.” The prince introduced, ”He is mighty, I assure you.”

Raising an eyebrow as, Ivory looked Naruto up and down as he asked, ”How did you get here? You're not of the Nine Realms, so you can't have access to the Bifrost.”

”Oh that? Yeah, I tagged Thor with a Hiraishin tag.” Naruto explain flippantly.

”A what-”

Naruto's playful manner fell away as he looked at Thor with slight trepidation, ”Thor…how long have you been away from Earth?”

Thor raised an eyebrow, ”It's been a year or so, why do you ask friend?”

”Well…well, I don't really know how to tell you this. All I know is that I wouldn't be a friend to you if I didn't.” Naruto muttered softly, his eyes squinted shut in thought.

”Tell me what?” Thor demanded, ”Is Earth in danger?”

”No…well, sorta…maybe.” Naruto stuttered, ”It's about your father.”

”My father?” Thor asked, surprised.

The shinobi nodded slowly, ”They implied they didn't want me to tell you…but like I said I don't like the idea.”

The Prince of Asgard's face scrunched up in worry, ”What is going on with my father?”

”It's a long story.”

-x-

A fire crackled loudly with a small stone laden hut, warming the small home and its occupants. Said occupants sat at a small table, enjoying the warm homeliness their fire gave off. Odin, leaning in his chair, waited patiently as Amora finally finished preparing their tea.

Amora sighed as she poured tea into Odin's cup, ”You know he's going to tell your son, sooner or later. He's not the kind of man to lie to his friends, ordered to or not.”

Odin nodded as he took a sip of Amora's tea, ”I am aware of his beliefs. And if he tells my son the truth, then that is simply a biproduct of my own actions. I only have myself to blame.”

The Enchantress sighed as she said, ”Still, I feel like it could've been avoided.”

Laughing, Odin muttered passed his cup, ”My son would've found out eventually. Despite how he acts, despite his brutish fighting style, he is an intelligent warrior.”

”He'll demand to fight her.” Amora predicted confidently.

”Oh, I'm sure he will.” Odin laughed wholeheartedly, ”Right, my boy?”

Amora jumped at the sudden presence of Thor and Naruto.

The God of Thunder did not look pleased, ”So, it is true.”

Nodding slowly, Odin said, ”Indeed.”

Before Amora could react, Thor was in Odin's face as he pulled at his father's collar, ”How could you…how could you lie?! Lying all this time, all these years. When were you going to tell me?” He demanded.

”Likely before I'd died.” The Raven King answered truthfully, somberly.

”How…could you…” Thor began, but seemingly couldn't muster the question he needed to ask.

Odin sighed as he placed his hands on his son's, ”I am not going to lie and say I did it for the greater good. I lied for me. It is as simple as that.”

The son released his father roughly, ”Tell me where she's imprisoned.”

”Why?” Odin asked slowly, ”What do you seek to achieve with that information?”

”I am going to talk to my sister.” Thor answered confidently, ”I'll decide what to do after I talk to her.”

”She'll kill you.” Amora answered. When Thor didn't seem to react to her statement, she decided to explain Hela's situation, ”She's being kept inside of Hel, a sub-world within Niffleheim. Inside of Hel is a realm known as Nastrond. Nastrond is a place designed to cut off its occupants from the outside world. No one can escape or enter without Odin's permission. And once you enter Nastrond, you might as well cease to exist.”

Thor didn't look at Amora as she explained Hela's prison, glaring at Odin the entire time, ”So, give me permission then.”

”I can't do that.” Odin said, ”I've already given Naruto the key. Only one can exist at a time, and only the holder can decide who goes.”

”Fine then.” Thor said as he made to leave, ”Come Naruto, we have a quest to complete-”

”No.”

Thor stopped, glaring at his father, ”What do you mean no? I'm going-”

”I will not send you off to Valhalla!” Odin bellowed, ”Not you! Not like your mother! This is my mistake, and I refuse to pay it off with your blood-”

With a sudden jolt, Odin gasped in pain, clutching his chest as he wretched forward. Thor and Amora were quickly at his side, with Amora doing her best to ease his pain with her magic.

Thor, deep worry on his face, could only watch as his usually strong father's body fail in front of his eyes. His eyes landed on Amora, the woman running her magically covered hands over Odin's chest.

Glaring down at her, Thor took a threatening step towards her, ”What are you doing? What have you done to my father!”

Before Thor could pry her off of Odin, he was stopped by a hand clasping onto his shoulder.

”Thor, stop.” Naruto ordered firmly.

Thor was immediately in Naruto's face, ”She's a witch. She could be bewitching him, weakening him!” She-”

”She's helping him, Thor. He's dying.” Naruto said, his voice growing soft.

The son of Odin took a step back in shock, ”…What?” He asked softly.

”It's true.” Amora said, most of her attention on Odin, ”Loki's banishment hastened it, but he's been on limited time for decades now.”

”Loki.” Thor muttered, finding a chair as his legs seemed to lose their strength, ”I'm going to kill him.” He muttered with rage. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm his building anger, lightning running along his hands.

His eyes flew open when he felt a hand grasp onto his chest plate tightly.

Odin, kneeling before his own son, wheezed, ”Please, Thor, please. Don't go to her. I can't let her do it again. Not like before. I barely survived it. And now…now with my life flittering away, I know I can't survive it if she took you too.”

”Father.” Thor breathed out. Seeing his father in such a state, his frown deepened, ”Okay. I won't.”

The All-Father's grip loosened, ”Good…good.”

”Tell me everything.” The God of Thunder demanded.

-x-

Naruto sighed as he stood outside the hut, allowing Odin and Thor privacy. Sitting cross legged on the rock Odin had been sitting on when they'd first met, the blonde looked up at the full moon that was sitting clearly in the night sky.

”So, when are we doing this?” Kurama asked.

Closing his eyes, Naruto thought, ”As soon as Thor is done talking to Odin.”

”So soon?” The Biju asked.

Naruto shrugged, ”I'd like to get this over with, then I can handle everything here. My clone can take care of anything that might pop up in the time I'm gone anyway.”

Kurama nodded from within the seal, ”Makes sense. I'd suggest doing it as quickly as possible. According to that witch, time moves way slower in Hel. A few hours over there could be days here, get it?”

”Yeah, I got it.” Naruto thought with agitation.

”Well, you've never been known for understanding complex things like time displacement and the such.” Kurama said smugly, ”I'd hate for you to come back and a month has gone by.”

”Yeah, that would suck.” Admitted Naruto, ”But things should go smoothly…should.”

Then, after a moment, an idea struck the blonde.

”I'll be right back, Kurama.” The blonde said smoothly as he focused his mind.

Kurama blinked in confusion, but quickly realized what his partner was talking about, ”Oh, going to talk to Lady Death huh?”

”Her name is Freyja.” Naruto corrected before he was sucked into his mindscape, going directly into the corner of his seal where Freyja was housed.

Opening his eyes, Naruto found himself in front of Freyja's campfire. Looking over he smiled at the beautiful woman who sat directly next to him.

”Hello, beloved.” Freyja said with a delicate smile.

”Freyja.” The blonde said kindly, leaning back as he said, ”So, I'm sure you know what's happening.”

The embodiment of death nodded, ”I have. I never expected you'd be taking on someone who's used my name in their campaign of power. It's a little ironic, in a way.”

”Any advice?” Naruto asked.

”Her moniker is one deserved.” Freyja started, ”It was given to her by the Light Elves of Alfheim, after she slaughtered and executed every single member of their royal family during the Asgardian invasion. Originally, she was the Goddess of War. But her bloodlust led to her new title, the Goddess of Death. She was born and raised to be the ultimate weapon. That was her purpose. She is both the sharpest sword and sturdiest shield. She can kill anyone and killed by no one.”

”She sounds tough.” Naruto admitted, ”She has no weaknesses?”

”None. Your fight will be one of attrition.” Freyja advised.

”Right.” The blonde muttered thoughtfully, ”So, I'll need a battle strategy.”

”And we both know how bad you are at those.” Freyja said lightly, ”I'd suggest sticking to your strong suit, and work on the fly.”

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, ”Probably. Meh, I'll think of something either way.”

”No.” Freyja said with surprising firmness, ”You can't take this so carelessly. You need to approach this as seriously as you can, okay?”

Seeing the worry on her face, Naruto smiled, ”I'll be careful.”

Lady Death sighed, looking away from the blonde with a huff, ”No you won't.”

Chuckling, Naruto said, ”It would be strange if you thought I would. You know me better than most, right?”

”I do.” Freyja confirmed softly, ”And I know that you're going to try and talk to her, to understand her and get her to understand you. You've done it before, several times. Neji Hyuga, Gaara of the Sand, Nagato Uzumaki, Obito Uchiha. You saved these people from themselves. Your talk-no-jutsu, as your friends later called it.”

Laughing again, Naruto muttered, ”I guess-”

”Don't do that this time.” Freyja advised, ”She isn't someone to change. She'll kill you if you give her a chance, understand?”

This time, his laugh grew bigger. Getting up, he summoned a door to exit the mindscape, ”You forget that my talk-no-jutsu doesn't ever really rely on my words, at first anyway. About three-fourths of it revolves around me beating them senseless. I leave the talking for when that's all I can muster.”

”Why do you insist on making things more difficult than they have to be?” Freyja persisted with a small scoff. Her face relaxing, she said, ”I know that there's no convincing you otherwise, you fool.”

His smile growing bigger, Naruto stepped through the door towards consciousness.

Opening his eyes, the blonde found Amora standing in front of him.

”So, how're things inside?” Naruto asked.

Amora smiled softly, ”Good.”

Within the hut, Thor and Odin sat in silence, the only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire.

Thor proved unable to stand the silence, ”Make me stronger.”

Odin blinked, ”What?”

Thor, his face hard as stone, said, ”You told me that I'm not strong enough. Well then Father, make me strong enough. Show me how to be strong in the short time you have left.”

Staring at his son in shock, Odin eventually smiled, ”On one condition.”

”Name it.” Thor demanded confidently.

”Leave Loki be. That is the condition. Until my death, Loki is to be left alone.” Odin said firmly.

The prince seemed to want to argue against his father, but stopped midway. Eventually, he could only nod in acceptance, ”Agreed.”

Odin placed his hand firmly on Thor's shoulder, ”I will make you realize the strength you never knew you had, my son.”

The door creaked open, Naruto peeking his head. His eyes squinted shut and a wide smile on his face, he said, ”You guys good? Cause if it's okay, I'd like to get on with my quest now.”

Thor sighed, ”Fine then. Father, send him to Hel.”

Amora, who was behind Naruto, said, ”I'll be in charge of that. I'll drop you off in Hel, then you'll have to travel on foot to Nastrond. The key should guide you to your destination.”

Naruto looked down at his open palm where Odin had placed the key, a golden symbol Amora called a Lasabrjotur. Closing his fist, the blonde said, ”This thing hurts like a bitch by the way.”

”The pain will relieve itself the closer you get to Nastrond.” Amora informed.

Nodding, a thought came to Naruto, ”Why don't you just drop me off right in front of the place I need to go, Nostradamus…or whatever.”

”Nastrond.” The Enchantress corrected, ”And sadly I can't, Hel is a…strange place. I'll try and get you as close as possible, but there's no promises that it'll be right around the corner.”

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto muttered, ”Okay, let's do this I guess.”

Odin stepped forward, resting his hand on Naruto's shoulder, ”All I can do is wish upon you the strength you will need. My daughter…she needs peace. She's never known it. So…please help her get that.”

Naruto looked Odin in the eye as he nodded solemnly. Giving Thor a nod goodbye, he then watched as Amora opened a portal using her magic.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into what awaited on the other side.

-x-

”For the Sage's sake, why is it so fucking cold!”

His arms wrapped around his torso, Naruto's entire body vibrated in an attempt to get warm. His teeth clattering, he continued his train of thought, ”I thought hell was supposed to be hot! Lakes of fire, pillars of lava, demon babies, the works! Not this bullshit!”

”Demon babies?” Kurama questioned from the seal.

”Shu-shu-shu-shut up!” Naruto demanded, holding himself tighter as his shivering got worse.

As soon as he stepped through the portal, the frosted wind blasted him in the face. The wave of falling snow soon came after, along with Naruto noticing that he seemed to be in a dead forest, the black trees looking like they'd been burned a long time ago. Their black bodies and bony limbs stuck out like haunted figures against the pure white snow that surrounded them. Naruto couldn't tell what time it was, night or day, all he could see was white.

He pushed forward, the pain from Odin's key dimming slightly the further he walked.

An idea suddenly came to Naruto, the blonde smirking in satisfaction as he summoned a small scroll from the seal situated on his wrist. Opening it, he quickly summoned out its contents. Pulling on the thick brown trench coat with fur lining the insides, he sighed in content at the warmth it gave him. Fitting the gloves to his hand and a red scarf around his neck, he quickly realized these added lairs only helped a little, as he was already shivering again.

”You know…you coulda just activated one of the cloaks to block out the cold.”

That stopped Naruto in his tracks, his body freezing from the realization, ”…Dammit.” He cursed as he activated the base Nine Tails Cloak.

Kurama chuckled as he said, ”You're welcome, brat.”

Naruto had no idea how long he'd been walking for, his only solace being the continuous diminishing of pain coming from the key. What was once a scorching burn was now an intensely throbbing pain. As he walked further and further into the dead forest, the trees started to dwindle down, leaving a cold field in its wake. The field seemed to go on and on, there didn't seem to be any kind of horizon.

It was as the trees disappeared that mounds of snow took their place. Each step, each crunch of the snow, echoed along the cold hellscape. Suddenly, Naruto stopped in his tracks.

Kurama looked up from within the seal, his ears twitching with interest, ”Naruto?”

Said blonde remained quiet, only to then rear his head back before giving a might sneeze. Wiping his nose, he chuckled to himself, ”I had that sneeze in the back of my throat for like two minutes.”

The Biju rolled his eyes as he laid his head back down, ”Idiot.”

As Naruto took another step forward, the sound of shifting snow echoes around. Freezing, the blonde raised his arms in preparation as he thought, ”You hear that, partner?”

Kurama's ears twitched, ”Yeah. Six o'clock.”

Naruto quickly ducked down, just in time to avoid a giant fist from plowing into the back of his head. Rolling forward, he turned around to get a good look at his attacker.

The man was large, both in muscle and stature, his flesh frozen over and turned a decayed purple and blue. His glaring eyes shined an eerie blue, his teeth clenched together as he growled like an animal. Dashing towards Naruto the man raised his hands up over his head to deliver a punishing hammer fist.

Raising one hand up, Naruto easily caught the fist. The enemy caught in his grip and his torso wide open, the shinobi quickly took advantage of the situation and shoved his fist into the man's abdomen. Dropping the now limp man to the snow beneath them, Naruto raised his hands up.

The palm he'd used to block the attack and the knuckles of his punching hand were glazed in a thick ice.

”What the hell?” Naruto asked aloud, only to jump to the side to avoid several projectiles. Quickly realizing they were arrows, he looked for their shooter. Quickly spotting another frozen man off in the distance, Naruto was quick to get into his space and deliver a devastating spin kick to his neck, snapping it in two.

As he landed, his leg buckled. Looking down, Naruto was shocked to see the area he'd kicked with was frozen like his hands. Quickly, the blonde added some of Matatabi's signature flames to where the ice had collected around his limbs. The ice was quick to melt off.

He was unable to celebrate this small victory, as the sound of shifting snow once again entered the area, only much more numbered. His eyes then widened in horror, as the mounds surrounding him suddenly began to shift and break away, revealing frozen men in their place.

”The snow fall must have covered them.” Kurama observed.

Naruto, who was busy swerving away from a surprisingly quick sword slice, thought, ”Do you think they only move and attack when people not from Hel show up? Not very neighborly.”

The Biju shook his head, ”No, no I don't think it's that. I think it's because you're alive.”

”Alive?” Naruto thought, a sudden realization hitting him. He couldn't feel them. These things, whatever they were, were walking dead men.

Applying Matatabi's flames to his hands, Naruto quickly killed the zombie swordsman who'd been attacking him. Taking stock of the situation, Naruto noticed that these men weren't uniform. All of them differed from the other. All were warriors, all of which appeared to be from different timeframes. Most prominently were various kinds of Viking like warriors that Naruto eventually recognized to be Asgardians. But in between that were some light and dark elves, giants, dwarves, hell he recognized some Earth military uniforms in the crowd.

He was completely surrounded by a never-ending wave of frozen zombies. Great.

A frozen Nazi officer then suddenly broke from the crowd, charging towards him with a bayonet in hand. Naruto didn't let him get too close, quickly incinerating him mid-run.

Not far behind him, the rest of them charged in.

Naruto was quickly suffocated by the three-hundred and sixty-degree charge, quickly activating his Six Path's Sage Mode to help keep him at a constant advantage. Knowing Matatabi's chakra was his best bet, Naruto quickly summoned an insane amount and pushed it out around him, blowing away any of the zombies that were too close for comfort.

Now able to move freely, Naruto was quickly on the assault. His limbs encased in his trusty blue flames, Naruto was unencumbered enough to flail his arms and legs in precise strikes and attacks, doing his best to get only one hit kills to hasten the fight.

One after the other, after zombie Nazi, after zombie Asgardian, after zombie Mongolian, after zombie dentist strangely enough, Naruto continued his onslaught.

Huge columns of azure flames scorched Hel's earth, blasting and incinerating countless warrior zombies.

Tremendous waves of cobalt inferno, bombatious bursts of sapphire explosions, and blazing walls of devouring hellfire kept the zombies at bay.

And yet, they still kept coming.

For each he killed, it seemed like five more took their place. It was maddening.

His breath growing heavy from slight fatigue but mainly annoyance, Naruto killed another squadron of Hel's soldiers, ”This is ridiculous.”

Quickly avoiding a sneak attack, Naruto went on the move. Running and attacking at the same time, he attempted to cover some ground and fight at the same time. The quicker he got to Nastrond, the better.

It was as he was running that he came head to head with an open circle the zombies seemed to be avoiding. And in the center of that circle, stood a single hooded figure.

His cloak appeared to be made entirely of darkness, his face hidden by the deep shadow of his hood.

Now face to face with the figure, Naruto quickly realized that the zombies had stopped attacking.

While his guard was still up, Naruto made sure to keep within the circle that was apparently out of bounds. His attention halved between the hooded figure and the countless zombies surrounding them, Naruto used this time to catch his breath.

And then, the figure moved. Shifting his stance so he and Naruto were facing the same direction, his blue, partially frozen, hands then flew up and began to weave hand signs at a shocking speed.

Before Naruto could react, the figure took a mighty heave before releasing their breath. That breath was a humongous bellow of fire, the fiery element almost instantly disintegrating anything in its path. This path made a wide hallway through the zombie crowd.

A path now made, the figure began to walk through the wide path he'd made. Realizing Naruto was too busy staring after him in confusion and wonder, the figure motioned his head to follow him.

Naruto, blinking rapidly, could only follow after the hooded figure stiffly.

Walking through the path and exiting the crowd, the blonde stopped. Looking back at the crowd, he raised an eyebrow at the site of the countless zombies facing the two of them, their blank faces glaring at them harshly.

Turning sharply to the hooded figure, Naruto asked, ”Who the fuck are you?”

The figure shifted to partially face Naruto, a voice peeking out from beneath the hood, ”I suppose it's been a long time since the last time we spoke.”

His eyes glaring, Naruto said, ”You used fire ninjutsu. A powerful one. Who are you.” He insisted again.

Pulling the hood down, the figure finally turned fully to the blonde, ”I'm glad you don't think my skills have dwindled after all this time. It's good to see you again, Naruto.”

Naruto immediately recognized the man behind the hood, the man's long jet-black hair flowed down his face smoothly, his pale complexion mixed in with the frozen purple and blue the rest of the Hel zombies shared, and a single red cloth was wrapped tightly around his eyes.

”Itachi?”

Itachi smiled, ”Hello, Naruto.”

”Wha…what?” Naruto stuttered, ”How? What?”

”Follow me, they won't be like that for much longer.” Itachi said, referencing the zombies, continuing to walk in the direction they'd been going in.

Itachi, who'd gone from a mild walk to a blitzing sprint, zipped along the frozen tundra. Naruto, now left behind, yelled after him, ”He-hey, wait for me!”

With his Six Paths Sage Mode activated, it didn't take long for him to catch up. His eyes still looking ahead, Itachi said, ”What are you doing here, Naruto?”

”I could ask you the same thing.” Naruto shot back in disbelief.

The Uchiha nodded, ”I suppose that is fair. It can wait until we get to my camp.”

”Right.” Naruto drawled out, ”Lead the way…I guess.”

Eventually, thanks to the speed they'd been going, the snowing field they'd been running through began to fade away, replaced by chunks of brick tiles littered in a way that may have once resembled a road. The field ended at a vast cliff side, a crumbled stone bridge leading to the other side of the cliff. And on the other side? A massive, practically destroyed tower that sat on a small yet lean island.

Itachi's run came to a calm walk, the Uchiha leading Naruto into the tower, a small camp fire burning in the center of the bottom floor. His shoes creaking against the old wood that made up the floor, Naruto raised an eyebrow at Itachi's ”camp.”

”We will be safe in here, this is an Asgardian outpost long abandoned.” Itachi said in his usually stoic tone.

Naruto, standing next to the flames, said, ”Itachi…what the hell?”

The Uchiha sighed before saying, ”I am sorry for being so discreet, but the Helwalkers will only stay away for so long before their impatience overrides their instincts. It was for the best we get away as soon as possible.”

”What? What do you mean? Is that why they didn't attack us? Their instincts told them not to?” Naruto asked, confusion plaguing his face.

Itachi nodded slowly, ”In a way. I am…special. I have been touched by a being they fear, and I suppose that touch has left a residue they know to avoid. But it only lasts so long. Eventually, they attack out of pure impatience.”

Naruto plopped down on the ground next to the fire, scratching his head frantically in thought, ”You need to explain everything. Now. Please.”

Taking a seat next to him, Itachi said, ”I'm here because this is a part of my punishment.”

”Punishment?” Naruto asked.

”Yes.” The Uchiha said with a small smile, ”The punishment for my crimes.”

”But…but you.” Naruto started, ”But everything you did, you did for the greater good. You did what you thought was right. You were a hero-”

”When I died, nothing happened.” The deceased Uchiha interrupted, ”It was like I had been asleep, woken up by Kabuto's jutsu. And when that jutsu finally ended, I was presented to…a judge. She told me that for my sacrifice, I could go to any afterlife I wished. I had the pick of any dimension or reality, whichever I wanted was mine to have. So, I chose here. A cold hell where I was to walk alone for all eternity. And when I got here, I was forced to go through another judgement. This time, they weighed my sins and decided on what to take from me accordingly.” Itachi paused, lifting his hand up to pull up the cloth around his eyes.

Naruto could clearly see that his eyes sockets were empty, ”The judge deemed my eyes were enough to even the scale. So now, here I am. A blind man walking alone through Hel. A fitting punishment.”

As Itachi put the cloth back into place, Naruto could only shake his head, ”Itachi…why?”

”It is what I deserve. I could not bear facing the people I hurt. My comrades, my family. Sasuke. I could not dream of seeing them again. That would've been selfish of me. I think I had been selfish enough in the time I was alive.”

Naruto could only sit there, listening to the fire crackle.

”Tell me why you are here. Did you…did you die?”

”No.” Naruto eventually answered, raising an eyebrow when Itachi seemed to relax, ”I've been sent here on a quest from a guy named Odin. I'm looking for a place called Nastrond.”

”Nastrond?” Itachi asked.

”Yeah, you know it?” Naruto asked hopefully.

Itachi nodded, ”Yes, it's not far from here.”

”Awesome.” Naruto said with a smile.

Itachi seemed to be struggling with his next line of questioning, his forehead scrunched up in thought, ”Naruto…why are you all the way here, performing a quest for a god that is not of our pantheon? Your being here is…confusing.”

It was then that Naruto realized that Itachi had no idea what happened. Swallowing the massive lump in his throat, the blonde said softly, ”I failed.”

”What?” Itachi asked, turning his fully to Naruto in astonishment.

”Madara, he was betrayed by Zetsu. Kaguya Otsutsuki was brought back to life using your forefather as a medium. Sasuke and I tried to fight her, we really tried. But I was nearly killed. And so, Sasuke used this jutsu he'd just learned, and well…he sent me to another planet nearly 70 years into the future. By the time I got back everyone was long dead and gone.” Naruto explained, too ashamed to even look at Itachi.

”I see.”

Closing his eyes in frustration, Naruto said, ”I'm sorry. Because of me all of your sacrifices were for nothing. I'm so, so sorry-”

”You are not responsible.” The Uchiha interrupted firmly.

Naruto stopped, eyes wide as he stared at Itachi in shock, ”What?”

”The blame lays on this Kaguya woman, on Zetsu and Madara. On Obito, Nagato. The blame lies on me. We are the ones responsible. I am responsible. I can only imagine the pain you've been through. Because of me. Do not ever apologize to me.” Itachi said, somehow looking straight at Naruto as he said this.

All the blonde could do was laugh, ”We're both just a bunch of broken fools, huh?”

Itachi smiled at that, ”You'd have made a grand Hokage, Naruto.”

”You too, Itachi.”

Smiling at that, Itachi got up as he said, ”Come. I will take you to Nastrond.”

”Oh, right.” Naruto muttered, getting up and following after the Uchiha. Taking notice of the key, he noticed that the pain had dulled quite a bit, now only a slight throb, ”Wait, what about the zombie things?”

”The Helwalkers stay clear of Nastrond. Whatever is in there…it frightens them to their core. The few times I have gotten close I felt incredibly uneasy. It was the kind of feeling I'd get when I was around Pain and Tobi.” The Uchiha explained, ”We should still hurry. Your presence is an unknown variable, and they attack anything in that category without prejudice. I would know.”

”Okay.” The Uzumaki muttered, ”Let's go then.”

As they walked out of the tower, Itachi looked back over his shoulder, ”Keep up if you can.”

Naruto raised an eyebrow, ”Are you challenging me to a foot race?”

”I don't challenge.” The Uchiha muttered softly, ”Let's move.”

With that, he burst off in a blur of motion. Naruto smiled as he watched the man speed away, ”He doesn't challenge huh.”

”I think you should catch up, brat.” Kurama muttered.

Taking time to stretch his legs as Kurama talked, the blonde said, ”I'm going, I'm going.”

Getting in a runner's stance, Naruto waited another second before blitzing forward. Several seconds later, he was now parallel with Itachi, giving the raven-haired man a large smile and full salute.

Itachi didn't seem to want to speak, in fact he barely acknowledged Naruto at all. Instead, he kept pushing forward, taking the lead as the two sprinted towards their destination.

Their terrain began to change once again, this time becoming more mountainous. Jagged iced over rocks jutted out of the ground, all leading up to a mountain range shaped like an 'M.' And there, in the center of the two peaks, sat what Naruto at first assumed was a star peeking out and shining through. But as they got closer, he eventually realized that it wasn't a star, but a door.

”Is that it?” Naruto asked.

Itachi, his eyebrows knitted close together, nodded, ”Yes.”

”It's not what I expected…well, I didn't really know what I was expecting.” Naruto mumbled as they continued their trek towards the door.

”Naruto…why are you here?” Itachi asked.

Jumping over a large boulder that was in his way, Naruto said, ”I was asked to by this guy, a king. He's the ruler of this planet or realm called Asgard. He's dying, and the power that holds the thing in Nastrond at bay is connected to him in some way. As soon as he dies, she gets free.”

”She?”

Naruto nodded, ”His daughter, Hela.”

After a second of thought, Itachi asked, ”What do you get out of this?”

”A powerful object called the Reality Stone. There's this guy named Thanos who's after it and five others just like it, each one holds the power to control an aspect of the universe. Space, power, mind, reality, soul, and time. So, I'm trying to find as many of them as I can before he does. I've got three right now, this'll be my fourth.” Naruto explained.

”And what will you do with the Stones?” Itachi asked, ”Once this Thanos is dealt with, what happens with the Stones you've collected?”

”I dunno.” Naruto shrugged half-heartedly.

Another second of thought passed, ”And if you were to have all six…you could control all aspects of the universe?”

”Yes.”

”Including the power to control life?”

”…Yes.”

Several moments passed between them as they continued to run towards the door. Finally, Itachi asked, ”Have you ever been told the story of The Two Tigers and a Strawberry?”

Naruto looked at the man curiously, ”What? No.”

”I suppose you wouldn't have, not being an Uchiha. My father told it to me many times as a child.” Itachi muttered as they avoided a pillar of ice and rock, ”A lone man travels along a field, stumbling across a hungry tiger. The man flees, followed closely by the salivating predator. Coming to a precipice, the man uses a lone vine to swing himself over the edge. From above, the tiger sniffs. Trembling, the man looks down below to find another tiger, waiting patiently. Only the vine saved him. The man looks around, spotting a fresh strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he uses the other to reach for the luscious fruit. And oh, how sweet it tasted.”

Waiting for the man to continue, Naruto eventually realized he had finished his story, ”That's it?” He asked lamely.

”My father told me that the story explains that you have to enjoy the present moment, that suffering is unavoidable and that you must be grateful for what's in front of you.” Itachi lectured softly.

Sighing, Naruto said, ”I know what you're trying to say-”

”My father believed this interpretation was wrong.” Itachi said firmly, looking Naruto in the eye, ”He believed that the man on the vine was a fool who was too busy enjoying the fruits of life to see that he was in danger. He prioritized the pleasures of life over survival.”

Naruto looked away as he asked, ”Is that what you believe then?”

”Yes, for the longest time.” Itachi admitted, ”I have always thought that the story was cut off to short. I believe the man used the strawberry to feed the tiger below and climbed the safety. But I think that kind of thinking is what led me to here, what led me down my path of familicide. To spying on Akatsuki. To fighting Sasuke instead of simply talking to him like I should have.”

Before Naruto could continue, he realized the pain coming from his key had faded completely.

”We're here.” Naruto said, spotting the door as they entered a plateau, a glowing doorway lighting the area in a golden hue.

Itachi stopped, his blue complexion noticeably paler do to the proximity of Nastrond, ”This is where I leave you then.”

Stopping as well, Naruto sighed as he looked Itachi in the eye. Or well…as much as he could with the cloth covering the man's eyes, ”Thank you, Itachi.”

Smiling softly, Itachi bowed, ”Goodbye, Naruto Uzumaki-”

The man found himself cut off, enveloped in a tight hug by the now shaking Naruto.

Ignoring the ice that was building around him as he held onto Itachi, Naruto muttered, ”Goodbye.”

Without looking back, Naruto let go of the fallen piece of his home, marching towards the door. Pressing the key on his palm onto the door, he watched as the light faded to reveal an ordinary looking wooden door.

Turning the nob, Naruto took one last look back, barely catching Itachi turn away as he began his trek back down the mountain side.

As the door opened and closed, Itachi Uchiha slowly walked away from the door of Nastrond, ignoring the frozen tear streaks along his face, accepting them as the symbol of his eternal anguish.

-x-

”How do you think he is doing?”

Odin hummed from his seat, staring into the fire as he answered his son, ”It's hard to tell.”

The Shadow Clone that Naruto had left behind with the Asgardians shrugged, ”I'm sure that the boss is doing fine.”

Amora looked to the clone, ”Is there any way for you to know if he isn't?”

”Oh, well uh if he makes a clone and said clone pops, I'll get those memories. So, I'll get the gist of what's going on.” The Shadow Clone explained, ”And the boss likes to throw us around during a fight, so I should be able to relay what's happening.”

After a moment of silence, Amora turned to her king, ”My King, I've been wondering, just how powerful is Hela?”

”Hmm.” Odin hummed, running his fingers through his beard as he continued to look into the fire, ”It is hard to say. She was a prodigy in all forms of Asgardian combat and having lived her entire life in war she is a battle-hardened warrior. She can summon any weapon and survive any attack. In battle, she would slaughter half of her opponents, resurrect them with her magic, and then have our enemies fighting each other until no one was left. Without her, we would have never been able to have Nine Realms under our banner.”

”What was she like, my sister?” Thor asked.

His eyes slowly left the flames, Odin gave a sad smile as he said, ”She was a complicated creature. She was hateful, cruel, and belligerent towards our enemies, and of those we had many.” Taking a shaky breath, he continued, ”I met her mother when I was a young prince, during our first invasion of Jotunheiem. She was a giantress, a peasant girl who was unlucky enough to live in a village near the battlefield. It was a bloody war, with both sides losing. We took solace in each other, ignoring our race and prestige in a bid for comfort. From that, Hela was born. A bastard of highborn and lowborn, of god and giant. A child born of war. After the war, I agreed to take her into my house, knowing my people to be more accepting than hers ever would be. It didn't take long for us to realize she was special. Battle ran through her veins. She craved it, even if she didn't understand that at first. The only thing she loved more than a fight, was Asgard. But the people…they weren't so enthused. After her banishment, after what she did, they were all too welcome to forget about the hellish half-breed. They etched her out of our history.”

”What did she do?” The Shadow Clone asked, ”What was so horrible that her own people would willingly push her out of their memory?”

Odin kept his eye contact with Thor, ”Have you ever wondered, my son, why it is your mother and I took so long to have you, after I had secured all the Realms?”

Blinking in confusion, Thor said, ”No, I never have.”

”It is because you weren't our first born.”

Both Naruto and Thor looked at Odin as though he'd grown anther head.

”What?” Thor forced out.

”Frigga and I had a son before you, my son.” Odin elaborated, ”His name was Baldur.”

Thor slowly began to process this, ”I had an older brother?”