Summary: No one ever wondered what lied beyond the elemental nations. The war was over, he had respect, and a relationship with the Mizukage. He didn't need to be hokage anymore and decided to see what the rest of the world was like. Turns out it was much larger than anyone expected. Naruto x harem. Mei, Pakunoda, Camilla
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13958783/1/
Word count:49k
Chapters:
Chapter 1: Departure
It had been three whole years since the fourth great shinobi war, and while everyone was enjoying the new found peace between nations, one man was conflicted. That man was none other than the hero of the war, Uzumaki Naruto. He wasn't conflicted about bringing peace to the nations, no, that was great. The problem stemmed from what happened after.
Since he was a kid he wanted the respect of the villagers as well as the shinobi that protected them. He wanted to be acknowledged by everyone and show them that he was more than just the container of the nine tails. He wanted friends and people he could turn to whenever he needed them. It was for those reasons that he'd made his life goal to become the Hokage.
Now though, he had all of that. Some would argue that he had most of that the moment he beat Pain and had him revive everyone he killed in the village. After the war however, everyone knew his name and of his deeds. They heard how team seven had taken down Kaguya, and how he and Sasuke had broken everyone out of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The blond had effectively carved his name in the history books already.
Naruto had even beaten sense into Sasuke and had him return to the village. He'd kept his promise to Sakura and brought the man back, even though he was constantly out on long term jobs.
That left him with a problem. For the past three years, he had nothing to fight for. There was no one to save, no threats to the village, no animosity between Kage, no goals to strive for, there was nothing going on. They were at peace, the thing that he and Jiraiya both believed could happen, and that was great, but it left him jaded. Day after day, he waited for something to happen. Anything to alleviate his boredom, but nothing ever came. Every day was the same and he was tired of the monotony.
There were only two things that had happened that were of any real significance. The first was having a conversation with the Heiress of the Hyuga clan, Hinata, about her love confession. They never had a chance to talk about it after the pain attack since everything happened so fast, but now that they were at peace, they were finally able to address it.
He'd let her know that he was flattered but he knew she didn't really love him. She was in love with the idea of him, and not the person. They hadn't spoken enough for her to know what he was really like, and as such formed an idea of him especially after he stood up for her against Neji when they were younger.
Hinata was saddened but understood, which he was thankful for.
The second was his relationship with the Mizukage. Soon after the war ended, he traveled to each of the other nations to see what life was like for them. Now without the animosity between them he was free to travel between them with almost no restrictions. Throughout his time in the mist he noticed how 'forward' Mei was him. She'd complement his looks, rub his arm here and there, and always lightly tease him whenever she could. They were soon having lunch together in her office until one day she made a move and kissed him. He had no issues with this as she was one of the most beautiful women he'd laid his eyes on.
However, with her being a Kage she couldn't up and leave her post to be with him, and likewise he wouldn't leave Konoha for another village. In the end they settled on a 'friends with benefits' type of relationship and he'd visit her whenever he could and they would enjoy each other's company.
Naruto was sure Kakashi, who'd been appointed as Hokage shortly after the war, knew exactly what he and the Mizukage were doing, but fortunately he never said anything. Still, while having the Mizukage under him and sometimes bouncing on top of him was fun for a while, it wasn't all he was looking for.
The thought of traveling had entered his head and would constantly plague his mind. Even late at night as he drew small circles with his fingers on Mei's back, he'd think about it. He'd been to every nation, but what about beyond the horizon? He'd asked Kakashi but the white haired man said no one knew.
There had been some expeditions in the past but they reported that it was just barren plains that eventually lead to the ocean. At the time, they were constantly on alert and the sensors that had gone hadn't sensed anyone for miles. It was deemed unimportant and they didn't bother heading out again since they were constantly on the lookout for enemies.
That had piqued Naruto's interest. The ocean was massive, no normal shinobi would have the reserves to walk across it, but he did. Hell, since he was blessed by the sage, he could fly and expend very little chakra doing so. The blond wanted to check it out.
If it did turn out to be just water, then at least he got the idea out of his system. If his gut feeling was right, then he'd have new lands to explore and new people to meet. That sounded good. He had a feeling there was more to the world than they were aware of. That thought alone was enough to get some of his enthusiasm back.
A few weeks after that conversation, after returning from a visit to Mei, he packed almost everything he had, minus furniture and non necessities into a storage seal he'd placed on one of his forearms. It took him an hour to get all his clothing, tools, and food ready. He walked out of the building and gave his apartment one final look before heading to the Hokage tower.
Kakashi saw Naruto in front of him, dressed in black pants and matching black shirt as well as some shoes similar to the ones Madara had on when he was the jinchuriki of the ten tails, which were just black closed shoes that his pants were tucked into. This was a far cry from the usual orange jumpsuit he used to wear.
Naruto's sensei looked at him, noticing the determined look on the young blond's face.
"So you've made up your mind." He noted unsurprised. He'd expected this after their last conversation. "How long do you need?" He asked
Naruto blinked. "Just like that?" He was expecting a little more resistance.
Kakashi shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "We're at peace now, and I can always call upon Sasuke if anything happens."
"Ok then. Can I have three years? I want to see as much as I can. If there really is nothing out there, you'll have me back within a week." He replied.
Kakashi didn't answer, instead he pulled some papers out of the drawers of his desk and began writing. "You seem confident that there's something out there." He said as he jotted something down.
"Call it a gut feeling sensei. It's been nagging at me for a while, I know there's something."
"I hope there is Naruto." Kakashi replied with sincerity. "Have you told the Mizukage about this?" He teased, letting him know that he knew of their relationship.
Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "I let her know a few days ago. I asked her to come with me but she was hesitant. It's understandable, she's still the Mizukage after all."
Kakashi laughed along with his student and stopped writing, he pulled out a large red stamp and applied it onto the center of the paper.
"Naruto, as of this moment you're not an active shinobi of Konoha. You won't be called upon for missions unless something happens that the village can't handle without you. The only thing I ask is for you to send me monthly updates through one of your toads." Kakashi said.
"I can do that." Naruto replied, anxious to get going.
Kakashi noticed this and waved his hand. "Go on. Enjoy yourself Naruto. After everything you've been through, you deserve a break. Have fun."
Naruto smiled. "Thanks Kakashi-sensei. I'll see you soon."
He walked down the streets of the village, taking in the sights as if it were his first time seeing them. If everything went as he expected, he wouldn't be seeing this place for a while and didn't want to forget. After he crossed the village gate and was deep within the forest, he stopped and activated his six paths mode.
Just as he was about to head out, he stopped, as he sensed a familiar presence approaching through the trees. He tilted his head in confusion, not understanding why she was here.
"Mei? What are you doing here?" He asked curiously. She was dressed in her usual dark blue dress with the only change being the fact that her Kage hat was missing.
The auburn haired woman smiled at his question. "You're not getting rid of me so easily." She answered happily. He finally took note of the scrolls she had clipped to her waist. Seeing the question on his lips, Mei continued. "Since the war ended I've been grooming Chojuro for the position. I trained him personally and had him learn how to do the paperwork.
After you told me of your plans to see what was beyond our horizons I thought about it every night. I stepped down and had Chojuro take over, he's being guided by the advisors but he's an intelligent man. I have no doubt he'll be a great Kage." She praised.
"What if they need you?" He asked.
"Chojuro has instructions to reach out to Konoha and have them contact you to tell me anything important. Now that everyone's allied it's no big deal."
Naruto nodded. That made sense. He smiled widely and held his arms open. The woman wasted no time in embracing him.
His body began to levitate until it was high above the trees. He turned his body south-west towards the land of wind and took off at incredible speeds. In all his excitement he hadn't asked Kakashi what direction the last people who tried went, so he just picked a direction. It didn't matter though, eventually they'd reach the ocean and then the real journey would begin.
It took the average shinobi three to four days to run from Suna to Konoha, and they'd cleared the distance in less than two hours at his flying speed. He'd contemplated stopping to see Gaara but ended up deciding against it, wanting to clear as much ground as he could in the day.
The next eight hours were pretty boring. What Kakashi said was partially true. He flew through flat plains with almost no life in it until finally, that changed into a strange looking forest. Considering how long he'd flown, as well as the speeds he'd hit, he wouldn't be surprised if they were the very first people to see this place.
He was fortunate that he had the ability to cover Mei in his chakra cloak as well, as he wasn't sure her body would be able to handle the speeds they were moving at.
He slowed down and gently came back down towards the earth. The two shinobi landed and glanced around as they entered the forest. The trees were much larger than those around the land of fire. They were taller however, and had this distinct aura around them. They almost reminded him of the Shinju except they lacked the malevolent aura that the God tree had.
Naruto closed his eyes and extended his senses as far as he could. Once he got a feel for the area his eyes instantly snapped open.
"What's wrong?" Mei asked, having seen his reaction.
"There's creatures around here. Some are pretty far off but they're huge. I'd wager some are larger than even Kurama but not nearly as strong." He told her. "Stay on guard."
The two continued walking through the dense trees, taking in the sights and keeping on guard in case anything came at them. There was just enough light left in the day that they could see, but soon, night would fall and he really didn't want to find out what kind of creatures lurked around these forests if he could avoid it.
As they continued forward, both of them heard the distinct noise of flowing water. Sure enough, after making their way through more trees, they came across what appeared to be a swamp.
"We're getting close to the ocean." Mei announced. Naruto turned to look at her. "When you've lived near salt water, you remember the smell." She explained.
Naruto smiled. At last, it looks like they were finally about to make it. He was going to say something else but stopped as his stomach made itself known by emitting a loud growl. He coughed into his hand trying to play it off but it didn't work as the woman broke out into a fit of giggles.
"Come on, let's go on one of these branches and have a bite. I'm pretty hungry myself." She said, Naruto followed her lead and jumped up the tree, eager to have some food.
Unfortunately, they didn't get to enjoy their meal, they didn't even get to unseal any food as a large serpent lunged at them from the murky waters below. The two shinobi disappeared from their spot on the branch and reappeared together on another tree across the one they'd been on.
They moved just in time to see the large snake easily rip through the branch and plummet into the water.
"Safe to say the animals around here aren't friendly." Naruto commented as he watched the snake slither up the tree and face them. Now that it was completely out of the water, the couple was able to get a good look at their attacker. It didn't look like any snake they'd ever seen, that was for sure.
It was larger than an average snake with a large lump on its body that resembled a bell. The skin on the neck of the snake looked as if it was twisted somehow, and had two tails which had what looked to be syringes at the tips.
The blond wasn't too scared of the reptile as he'd been swallowed by one of Orochimaru's snakes when he was younger and it had been much larger. Not only was that one larger, but Manda, the snake man's boss summon was many times larger and much scarier looking. This one just gave him an unsettling vibe.
"It seems to be guarding something" Naruto heard Kurama tell him in his mind. "Down there." Naruto looked down towards the base of the tree and the area around the swamp and saw what seemed to be...rice? What kind of rice grew in a swamp? He wondered.
"Take care of the snake and take some. It wouldn't be guarding it for no good reason. We can figure out exactly what it is later" Kurama ordered.
Naruto agreed and stretched his neck slightly. "I don't sense any others like it around but stay on guard. I'm going to incapacitate it so we can get some of that rice." He said, nodding his head down below.
Mei crossed her arms. "Alright, but please hurry. I haven't eaten in hours." She pleaded.
He gave her a thumbs up before disappearing. In less time than it takes a person to blink, Naruto was above the giant reptile with two large chakra constructed arms formed. The first came down on the snake's head, keeping it in place, while the other waited. As expected the syringed tails tried to stab him but were easily caught and pinned to the tree as well. Naruto got a good look at the snake up close and placed a fist on its skin. It was hard as steel. Increasing the pressure exerted by the arms he noticed it took more force than should be required to subdue a snake, even if it was larger.
He shrugged and jumped down, landing safely on the water. He picked bundle after bundle of rice and sealed it away along with everything else. He must have picked about thirty pounds of the stuff before stopping. The snake hissed at him as he did so, but it was unable to free itself from the grip his chakra arms had on it.
Having what he needed, the blond willed the arms to rip the snake off the tree, and violently shot in another direction.
"Alright. Let's go." He said floating in front of her so she could get on. He'd rather not kill the snake if he could avoid it so the two flew through the trees, not bothering to look around anymore, especially since it was now almost completely dark.
"Wait." Kurama told him. "There's something else down there. Look at the base of that tree up ahead"
Naruto looked around and frowned in confusion when he saw something sticking out of the ground near a tree. Luckily it wasn't one that was inside the swamp but it was still covered with dirt and grass. He brought them back down and walked towards it quickly, knowing the snake would be on them soon.
Mei bent down and carefully pulled out a book. It was completely black, with no cover art of any sort, and the pages, while dirty, seemed to still be in a somewhat ok condition. Naruto took the book and gently opened it, only to find that he couldn't understand anything that was written.
"It seems to be a journal of some kind. Judging by where we found it, I'd say whoever owned it dropped it and left it behind. They probably met the snake." Mei guessed.
Naruto agreed. "There's only two words, I think, on the first page. It's probably the owner of the book." He said before an excited look appeared on his face. "You know what this means? It means that there are others around. If they're not across the ocean then they're somewhere relatively close by."
His enthusiasm was contagious as Mei's face also broke out into a smile but was quickly able to get herself under control. "That's true, but let's get out of here first and then we can get excited about it."
The two didn't have to fly for very long as they quickly made it out of the forest and onto a sandy beach. The forest was miles behind them so they didn't have to worry about the snake trying to get them again. They landed and Naruto created a small hut using an earth style jutsu. It wasn't anything fancy like how Yamato was able to create homes but it would be enough.
He created another small structure which Mei lit on fire, courtesy of her lava. It would've been smart to grab some wood off the trees but he hadn't thought of that on the count of the giant snake.
The two sat side by side, finally able to enjoy some food after the long day they'd had.
"It's amazing isn't it?" Mei asked, breaking their silence.
He nodded. "Yeah. When I decided to set out I didn't know what I'd come across."
"I don't think anyone would've guessed a swamp with a strange looking snake would be out here." She chuckled.
The two finished their food and stood up to enter the small shelter he'd created. Naruto formed the cross-shaped sign and created four clones of himself.
"You guys stand guard. I don't sense anything in our immediate area but you never know." The four clones saluted him and sat facing a different direction.
Naruto followed Mei inside and unsealed a few blankets that he laid across the slab he'd created as a bed. The two undressed until they were in boxers and bra and panties respectively and laid down, holding one another. The bed wasn't as comfortable as they were used to but it would make due for the night.
The events of the day quickly caught up with the two, moreso with the blond, and they easily let the embrace of sleep take them.
The two were awake the next day at roughly six in the morning. They didn't have a clock to tell them, but he was able to deduce it since the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. He freed himself from Mei's hold and got dressed before heading outside. With but a thought, his clones disappeared and their memories were given to him.
It had been an uneventful night.
He was glad. He stretched and looked out to the ocean and back towards the direction of the large forest they'd been in yesterday. Now refreshed, he activated sage mode once again and got a feel for the land.
The waters were full of life just as big as some of the creatures that he'd sensed on land. Again, nothing compared to Kurama, who now that he had both halves of his chakra back, was even bigger and stronger than he'd been before. He floated high into the air and took a good look at the scene before him.
He wondered what Kakashi and the others would say when he told them about this. In the distance he could see a large volcano, strange looking trees as well as one large one very far off that put the Shinju to shame. It stretched high into the darkened skies above it and he could see lightning flashing constantly. On another side of the lands he could make out what seemed to be some sort of coliseum-like structure that was made of stone or sand. He wasn't quite sure.
Naruto couldn't help but think how lucky they seemed to be as their land was seemingly far out of reach from any of the creatures they'd seen. He wasn't sure they'd be in trouble per say, as high level shinobi would be able to make quick work of most of the creatures, but it would definitely make life more troublesome.
As dark as the lands looked, it was beautiful at the same time. A light went off in his mind as he gazed at the horizon and he quickly went back down.
He unsealed a blank notebook and a pen and quickly began jotting down what he'd encountered on the way. He quickly filled up two pages describing what he'd come across and took up another two pages drawing the snake he'd seen as well as a rough sketch of the sight he'd just seen.
The blond was so caught up in trying to make a good sketch that he almost didn't notice Mei approaching him from behind and look over his shoulder.
"I didn't know you could draw." She commented, taking in the drawing. Even she couldn't help but admit that it was an amazing sight.
"I'm not an artist like Sai but I'm decent. I just want to make sure it's accurate enough." He said, finishing up the last few touches. Once he was satisfied with the work, he closed the book and resealed it. The two cooked up a quick breakfast and soon after began stretching.
"Are you ready?" Naruto asked, activating his six paths mode once more.
Mei nodded and held onto him, sighing in content as the warmth of his chakra spread over her. The two began to rise higher and higher until she could see what he'd attempted to draw. Like Naruto, she couldn't help but be drawn to the large tree off in the distance.
"It must be absolutely massive to look that big even from this distance." She commented.
"Yeah, hopefully we can get a good look one day. Hold on tight, we're gonna go faster than yesterday." He warned. After coming across that journal, his motivation and excitement had only increased. His hunch about there being more to the world was right, and he had a good feeling that crossing the ocean, they'd find something incredible.
Mei held on tight and let out a high pitched squeal as they took off.
Over the next few hours, the pair witnessed large sea creatures that Naruto thought might have made good summons. From their altitude they were able to make out shadows in the water that took the shape of large serpents, whales, and even giant squids. They'd seen sea animals before but not to this degree. The closest he'd seen was the three tails.
They were sure a few high power jutsu would be enough to handle them but it was still incredible to see. The ocean itself also presented a challenge apart from the gargantuan animals, and it took the form of giant waves. At one point, the seas were so choppy they actually had to increase their altitude to avoid getting hit.
Naruto couldn't help but think, any regular shinobi who would venture out this far would have a tough time. If they made it to the swamp, they'd have the snake to deal with, which wasn't overly difficult but what if it was an entire species and not a single reptile? Not only that but the amount of chakra it would take to cross the ocean was far beyond the reserves of any normal shinobi.
"You know, if I didn't have the six paths ability to fly we'd have probably turned back half way a few hours into the journey, when everything was just flat." He commented.
Mei nodded. "Yeah, after seeing that much empty plains I'd assume it continued that way."
Conversations ceased and they continued flying well into the night. Naruto at one point repositioned Mei so she could comfortably lay down on him and sleep. With his only companion asleep, Naruto had time to think to himself.
Three things bounced around in his mind. The first was the sheer size of the world. Having been flying for nearly fifteen hours at the speeds they were going, and still only seeing water beneath them, it put the size of the world into perspective. If anyone were to be watching them, they'd see a bright orange flame zoom past them at breakneck speeds.
Finally, after almost a full day of nonstop flying, the fatigue was beginning to set in. Sure he had monstrous chakra reserves but it wasn't unlimited. However, as the sun rose higher and illuminated the world, he saw it.
In that instant, all the fatigue and hunger he felt instantly disappeared as he saw land up ahead. He gently nudged Mei's leg with his hand until she groggily woke up.
"What?" She mumbled.
"Look." He said, pointing up ahead. Mei turned her head, and similar to him, her sleepiness disappeared. The realization that they'd made it dawned on them and they seemingly got their energy back.
It only took a few more minutes of flying to reach solid land. The area was full of lush greenery and off in the distance, they could see bright lights as well as a very large tower, easily larger than any buildings they'd seen back home.
"Oh my…" Mei trailed off as she took in the sight with wide eyes.
Naruto nodded with his mouth wide open. "Yeah." He looked to the left and saw regular looking people staring at them, not having seen them fly over here. None approached though and quickly went about their business.
"Well?" Mei asked rhetorically.
Naruto shook his head from his stupor. "Well, let's see what's around. I'm curious to see what things are like around here."
The two followed a path that led towards the city, eager to see what the new world was like.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13958783/1/