Naruto: beneath the surface

Prologue

It was the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, The battle was intense, bodies were everywhere. At the climax of the War, Naruto and Sasuke had been able to defeat Kaguya, by ripping the Bijuu out of her and having them willingly jump pass into the only place Kaguya couldn't get to them, Naruto himself, as they used the seals given to them by the sage, but the damage was done and out of the chaos only they and the Sage of Six paths remained. There they stood, in horror, regret, and shame knowing they had failed in the end, they all gazed upon the battlefield before Naruto began to speak up.

Naruto - "We failed..." he said as tears began to slowly build in his eyes as he thought of all of the important people in his life that the war had cost him, at his side stood Sasuke and, although he didn't show it on the outside, he was just as deeply affected by his failure for not being able to achieve the piece that his elder brother had sacrificed so much for.

Hagoromo - "Boys..." he said as the 2 teenagers slowly turned to face the sage. "I can't begin to imagine how you both must be feeling, but if you would listen, we may still have a chance"

Sasuke - "A chance to what? In case you haven't noticed, everyone's already gone, we've failed." he said in both anger and regret.

Hagoromo - "While I cannot bring back the people you both love, there may still be a way to preserve humanity as a whole."

Naruto - "How!" he asked in both hope and desperation

Hagoromo - "I know a technique, one so dangerous I swore I would never use. But considering the situation I see no other alternative. This technique... It would essentially bring the earth back to a point where humanity was still young, but this time, I will ensure humanity doesn't receive the gift of chakra but to do this I will require something of both of you."

Naruto - "Anything!" he shouted without hesitation

Hagoromo - "To ensure that this plan isn't all for not. I will be enhancing the seal on both of your arms, giving you a regeneration so strong that not only will your aging stop, but it would take nothing less than the complete destruction of every cell in your bodies to do you. With this, you two will be able to act as the guardians of the planet to ensure nothing like this will ever happen again. In addition, I will be giving you the memories of your past lives, so that you will have the skills and experience to protect the earth from any threats that may come. Understand that if you accept, there will be no going back, are you ready." he asked.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath seemingly deep in thought knowing that if they accepted as he thought it over with the Bijuu getting approval from each of them. He thought it over for a little more knowing he and Sasuke would most likely never see the people he cared about again before opening his eyes and looking at Sasuke who nodded with determination.

Naruto & Sasuke - "We accept!" they shouted in unison.

Hagoromo - "Then let us begin." he said as he tapped his staff on the ground as Naruto and Sasuke's seals glowed and they both grunted in mild discomfort as their memories as asura and indra were restored, while all around the the world raced by as the bodies on the battlefield decayed and grass grew. In the hidden villages moss and vegetation grew around and inside each and every building. And once again humans, although weaker and much more primitive could be seen. "I leave the rest up to you Asura and Indra, good luck." he said before departing in a white flash.

After the technique was over Naruto and Sasuke would see the newly restored earth and would immediately get to work, spending millenia getting stronger, their strength became so great that the two of them had made the decision to only ever act if humanity was in imminent danger. That day would come with the arrival of the gems. When they arrived they immediately started colonizing the planet and destroying its ecosystem. In order to keep the humans safe they began to protect them from the gems but they couldn't save all of them and over time the ones they couldn't save were shipped off into space. With the civilians out of the way Naruto and Sasuke began to fight but before they could unleash their power and destroy the gems who dared to destroy the peace of their home she appeared. She didn't stick out at first, there was nothing special about her but that would all change soon. Soon she began to gather gems, calling themselves the Crystal Gems, and began to rebel against their leaders, claiming that the earth was worth protecting, with every battle more would flock to her side and soon everyone on earth knew her name, Rose Quartz.  Although her words were meant to inspire her fellow rebels they had also done something for Naruto, they had given him something he had long lost, they had given him hope. With this hope he had pleaded his case to Sasuke and reluctantly, he had agreed to continue watching them from afar. It had taken centuries and they had won the war but at a price and as Naruto and Sasuke looked upon the the aftermath of the final battle, they felt sympathy for the remaining crystal gems as images of the demise of their own home played in their heads. Deciding they weren't a threat Sasuke decided to leave to keep watch on the ruins of the 5 great nations. As for Naruto, he continued watching the remaining 4 crystal gems for millenia and after enough time, decided to actually meet them. Posing as a rookie musician in order to keep his true identity a secret, he went to their temple and after a rocky start, he became friendly with all of the gems and after a few months something grew between him and Rose. After a year he was elated to receive news that he would be having a child but after realizing what the consequences for the child birth were, he was deeply saddened that he would lose yet another important person in his life. Thus he made a vow to protect his unborn child no matter the cost. And then the day came and his son was born.

He was perfect.

He was his hope in life.

And his name was Steven.

Author's note: for clarification while the planet was reset and humans were brought back, the building of the ninja world were left behind, however damaged they may be. I will be writing this for a bit while i work on Naruto Juubi of Xadia which i am currently trying to write the next chapter for.