Naruto Multiverse

The quiet streets of the city echoed with Raven's labored breaths as she tried to gather her thoughts. She had left the safety of the Titans Tower to think, to find clarity in the midst of the chaos surrounding her destiny. But solitude had its price, and it came in the form of a familiar voice laced with malice.

"Come now, Raven. Father dear is waiting for your response," Slade taunted, his tone dripping with cruel amusement. His armored form emerged from the shadows, the demonic insignia of Trigon emblazoned on his helmet, sending a cold shiver down Raven's spine.

Her eyes narrowed, glowing with dark energy as her fists clenched tightly. "The portal has to be made," Slade continued, his voice a mockery of paternal concern. "The clock is ticking, little chick. Do not resist your destiny."

Raven's voice cracked with fury. "Get away from me!" she shouted, her anger manifesting in dark energy bolts that surged toward him. They struck with enough force to hurl Slade into a nearby building, cracking the concrete on impact. Yet when the dust settled, he stood unscathed, his armor absorbing the brunt of her attack.

Slade chuckled, his calm demeanor unbroken. "Child, throwing a tantrum won't do you any good. Be a good daughter and help Daddy."

As he stepped closer, the ominous sigil on his helmet burned itself into Raven's mind, amplifying the fear and chaos she worked so hard to suppress. Her breath quickened as dread crept into her heart, her usual composure wavering.

But then, from above, a voice pierced the tension. "Get your filthy paws off her, villain!"

Before Slade could react, an armored figure descended from the sky like a meteor. The ground trembled as Wasp collided with him, her body moving faster than the eye could follow. Her first strike was a devastating punch to his helmet, shattering it on impact. The second blow, delivered at Mach 50 speed, obliterated his body entirely, leaving nothing but scattered fragments of his once-mighty form.

Slade, the fearsome nemesis of the Titans, was no more.

Wasp hovered in the air, her sleek armor gleaming under the faint moonlight. Her metallic wings moved soundlessly, the only indication of their presence a faint shimmer in the night. Her presence exuded power and precision, an unrelenting force designed for destruction.

She turned to Raven, her voice calm yet tinged with concern. "Are you okay, Raven?"

Raven stared at the carnage, her eyes wide with shock. Slade, the unrelenting adversary who had tormented her for so long, was gone—reduced to nothing in a matter of seconds. She shifted her gaze to the woman before her, scrutinizing her unfamiliar yet commanding presence.

"Who are you?" Raven asked, her voice steady but guarded. The destruction she had just witnessed unsettled her deeply. This was no ordinary hero.

"I'm Wasp," the armored figure replied, her voice steady and emotionless. "You were in danger. I eliminated the threat."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "You killed him without hesitation."

Wasp tilted her head slightly, unbothered by the accusation. "He posed a threat to you and others. His death ensures safety. Hesitation in battle is a luxury that endangers lives."

Raven processed the words, torn between relief and unease. Slade's death meant freedom from his manipulations, but it came at a cost—one that blurred the lines of morality she and her team held dear.

"What are you?" Raven pressed, her voice now tinged with suspicion.

Wasp's wings fluttered subtly, her tone unwavering. "I am a protector. A tool of justice forged by someone who values life but understands the necessity of ending threats like him. You may question my methods, but my purpose is clear."

Raven looked down, her mind swimming with conflicted thoughts. For years, Slade had been an unrelenting shadow over her life, and now he was gone—just like that. But the ease with which Wasp had ended him, and her detached demeanor, left Raven questioning if she was safe in this woman's presence.

"Thank you," Raven finally said, though her tone was uncertain. "But I need to understand... why help me?"

Wasp's glowing visor dimmed slightly as she considered the question. "Because your pain and struggle resonate with someone important to me. You remind them of what it means to fight for your own destiny. Protecting you aligns with their wish."

Before Raven could respond, Wasp turned and began to rise into the air, her form blending seamlessly with the night sky. "Stay strong, Raven," she said. "Your destiny is your own, not anyone else's."

And with that, Wasp vanished, leaving Raven alone to grapple with the whirlwind of emotions the encounter had stirred. For the first time in a long while, the weight of her destiny felt a little less suffocating—but the questions surrounding Wasp only deepened the mystery.

Naruto stood in front of the paintings, the weight of the past and the present blending in the dim light of his room. The walls, once adorned with simple landscapes, were now filled with vibrant portraits of those he had loved, lost, and those who still remained in his life. His fingers hovered over each painting, his emotions a mixture of longing, guilt, and a quiet acceptance.

As he moved from one painting to the next, the sound of his voice filled the otherwise silent room. His words were spoken softly, as though he were confiding in the very walls themselves, seeking solace in the memories that these portraits represented.

"Move on and change, they say," he muttered under his breath, his gaze drifting over a miniature Konoha. The small model, controlled by his chakra, seemed like a distant echo of his past—an expression of a time long gone. "Become strong like I used to, Hima says," he added, a bitter edge creeping into his voice as he glanced at the now-vanished model. The flicker of chakra erased it from existence.

Naruto stood motionless for a moment, the quiet settling in around him. "Have I really lost awareness and not realized the change?" His eyes shifted from the spot where the model once stood, and he reached up, running a hand through his hair. "I am too old to be playing with toys, don't you think, guys?" he said with a sigh, the self-deprecating words feeling hollow in the vast silence.

His gaze then shifted to a painting of his fellow Kage, Gaara. "It's been a long time since we talked, Brother," he said softly, his voice tinged with regret. "I wish you were here. I regret that I can never pay you back for all the love that you gave me." His fingers brushed the edges of the painting, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips. "I had planned to find you a wife, but it will never be possible anymore. Do you think I can find you again, Gaara?" The question was directed at the still image of his old comrade, but he knew the answer would never come.

"If you could talk, you would tell me to move on and be strong. I am trying, Brother. Aren't I?" The words were swallowed by the stillness of the room, and Naruto continued, his hand tracing over the edges of the painting, erasing the dust that had gathered over the years. "When I change, I will make a better painting of you, Brother," he promised, almost to himself.

Next, he moved on to a painting of Sasuke, his long-time friend, and rival. "Sasuke, I apologize that I haven't made time for you, but you know I've been busy with my daughter," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of unspoken words. "You're happy that I decided to do that, thank you." His fingers paused over Sasuke's face, and Naruto's expression grew distant. "We are brothers by spirit, but when that explosion happened, I was unable to protect you and chose my daughter. Was I selfish?"

The guilt resurfaced, a familiar ache in his chest. "I might be," he said quietly. "Who knows, if you were here, we might have found a way, but I doubt that. I tried connecting to the souls and guide you here, but no response was given. That explosion, as expected, contained a soul attack. I had felt the sting on my soul when I arrived here, causing me to have lower control over my actions."

Naruto's gaze softened, and he sighed, his hand falling to his side. "I had contemplated dying, as I felt guilty for surviving when I could have just saved more people if I had just died. But you know, Hima would die if I do that. She can't seem to live without me anymore. I didn't think she would be attached to me so much. She did stick to me when she was young and still does." He smiled faintly, his heart aching as he thought of her.

"I guess I am happy that she doesn't act like the normal kids," Naruto continued, a tender fondness in his voice. "As I would be too sad..." His words trailed off, and for a moment, he simply stared at Sasuke's painted image, lost in thought.

"Sorry if I bored you with that," he muttered, shaking his head with a quiet chuckle. "But for now, it's farewell. See you later, Brother," he added softly as he touched the painting once more.

Then, his attention turned to the painting of Hinata. The soft glow of the room illuminated her gentle smile, captured forever on the canvas he had made personally. It was as if she were still there, beside him, radiating warmth and love. His heart tightened as he sat down in front of her image, his gaze softening.

"Hinata," Naruto whispered, his voice filled with tenderness. "I hope I didn't make you feel lonely." He let out a quiet breath, his fingers hovering over the painting of his late wife. "You know, Hima has grown so beautiful. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between you two if you stood together."

His eyes grew distant as he thought of their daughter. "She has grown so strong, but I feel I might have pushed her too hard and made her attached to me more than ever." His voice held a trace of worry. "She doesn't realize it, but her heart is corrupt with possessiveness. Her love for me knows no bounds." He paused, a rueful smile crossing his face. "I wonder where she got that from."

Naruto chuckled lightly, imagining Hinata's teasing giggle echoing in his mind, as though she were still with him. Despite the weight of his thoughts, he couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort in the memories that surrounded him, the echoes of love and loss that had shaped his existence.

Naruto sat in the room, a quiet smile on his face as he looked down at his daughter, Hima, who had teleported into the room in place of a clone. The warm embrace she gave him made his heart swell, yet also ached with the weight of her concern.

"Man is weak, but for you, I will be strong," he whispered to himself, feeling the soothing presence of Hima's arms around him. It was a warmth that he had come to cherish, a connection that kept him tethered to the world despite the turbulent storm of his emotions.

"I love you, Daddy, so Daddy shouldn't show weakness. It makes me feel sad," Hima said, her voice cracking slightly with the weight of the emotion she carried. Her tiny form trembled against him as she continued, "It doesn't matter how long it takes, I will wash the sorrow of Daddy's soul and make Daddy whole again."

Naruto looked down at her, the words hitting him harder than he expected. This little girl, his precious daughter, had absorbed so much in her short life. The burden of seeing him broken, as he once was, had already etched itself into her heart, and it tore him apart to know that she could feel the pain he had tried so hard to shield her from.

"What a precious child," Naruto murmured as he turned around, his wide smile appearing on his face to reassure her. "But I am complete as you can see."

Hima's brow furrowed as she gazed up at him, a seriousness in her expression that reminded him too much of her mother. "Daddy, you said you will always tell me what I want. Tell me, was Daddy not feeling sad or was Daddy not feeling the wish to join Mother?" Her voice was strong, but there was an undertone of worry beneath it. The word "mother" felt strange to her, as if it was an unfamiliar concept, yet it still held weight in her heart.

Naruto hesitated, guilt creeping up his spine. He had never meant to hide his true feelings from her, but the weight of his own sorrow had always kept him distant. He had kept too much of himself locked away, thinking he could protect her from the darkness inside him.

"I am sorry, you are right, princess. I was feeling sad, but with you here, I can never be incomplete because I found in you what was lost in me. So together, we are a whole," Naruto said, his voice soft, yet filled with resolve.

Hima blinked, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She had always felt a pull to make her father whole again, to take away the pain he carried. But this time, she needed something more. "I also feel complete without you, Daddy. The thought of anything happening to Daddy terrifies me. Promise me, Daddy will never leave me," Hima confessed, her voice trembling with raw emotion.

Naruto's heart swelled, and he gently stroked her hair. "I will never leave you, so don't cry, princess. I am immortal, and I will always be by your side, just like you will always be by my side. So don't cry."

He enveloped her in a tight embrace, pouring all of his love and reassurance into the gesture. The empathic connection between them, formed by their shared chakra, was the one thing that could calm Hima. She closed her eyes, savoring the peace and warmth of their bond.

"Then will Daddy fight by my side?" Hima's voice was filled with longing. "I wish to see Daddy as he used to be—strong and shining with hope. Daddy, is that possible?" Her words held the quiet desperation of a child who had witnessed too much suffering, who had watched her father break and wanted nothing more than to see him rise again.

Naruto took a deep breath, his fingers gently brushing through her hair. "Give me some more time, sweetie. I will definitely be what you want. I've already erased the remnants of my past that tied me down, and until I am back in shape, I won't bring them back. Are you okay with that?" he asked, looking down at her with a mixture of sincerity and hope.

Hima nodded, a small, hopeful smile breaking through her earlier distress. "Thank you, Daddy. I love you so much. You are the best Daddy I could wish for." Her words were full of admiration, and Naruto felt a warmth flood his chest. He knew that her praise came from a place of love, a love that only a daughter could offer, unconditionally.

'I will definitely change Daddy,' Hima thought, her gaze growing more determined as she looked at him. 'He only needs me and no one else. I deserve all his attention and love. Let the dead rest in peace. Mother should want Daddy to be happy, so I will make sure of it.'

Naruto held Hima close, feeling the comforting presence of her chakra intertwining with his. He couldn't help but smile as he thought of her strength and her pure heart. She had grown so much, yet there was still so much she needed to learn. But for now, he would cherish these moments, as they were all he had left.

"I love you too, Hima. You are such a kind child. The best I could ever dream of," Naruto said, his voice filled with affection as he held her tighter. "I hope you enjoy playing around with your sisters."

Hima's expression softened as she spoke. "I am trying my best to keep them in line so nothing happens, but for now, there isn't anything big to worry about, except the heroes who might interfere."

Naruto's face grew serious for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Unfortunately, they don't understand common sense, it seems. Try your best not to get in trouble with them. They shouldn't be able to tell when you kill someone, so it shouldn't be a problem. But keep away from the lantern. I'm unsure if he can trap you or not," he warned, his voice carrying a note of caution.

"I know, Daddy," Hima said, her pout barely visible beneath the seriousness of her words. "Daddy should have more confidence in me. I am not a little child anymore, but a bona fide warrior."

Naruto laughed, the sound warm and full of affection. "Haha. You will always be my little princess, so does that matter? And some things need to be always conveyed, as people forget." He chuckled as he pinched her adorable cheeks, loving her cute pout.

"Will you play with me, Daddy?" Hima asked, her eyes wide with excitement and a touch of mischief. She wanted to spend time with him in a way that would bring him joy.

"Of course, and I'm happy that you're being so considerate of my feelings these days," Naruto said with a smile. He summoned the card decks and hologram stage into the room with a flick of his wrist.

"It's time to play Yu-Gi-Oh," he declared, the playful tone returning to his voice. For the first time in a long while, Naruto felt a flicker of the person he used to be—hopeful, strong, and ready to face the world again, especially with Hima by his side.