Earth 11-D.
A timeline of peace.
This world never knew the Fourth Great Ninja War. Obito died young. Madara was sealed before awakening. Naruto became Hokage before his 20s, unscarred by trauma. Sasuke stayed. The Uchiha lived.
In this world… pain never ruled.
But peace makes for poor warriors.
And now, Dark Gwen descends.
Above the Hidden Leaf – Dark Gwen's Fleet
An armada of spectral anomalies phase into the sky. Each one a corrupted memory—ghosts of fallen Lanterns, undead Titans, and twisted versions of Naruto's friends from ruined timelines.
Dark Gwen floats at the front.
"He's here," she says, smiling.
"The seed of the Hollowborn. Let's take it before he blooms."
She lifts her hand—and the sky shatters.
Elsewhere – Rift Arrival
Ardyn, Ben, and Lyra rip through the veil between timelines, crash-landing in the forests outside the village.
Ben grunts, helping Lyra stabilize the portal node. "Did we have to fall every time?"
Lyra rolls her eyes. "Next time you fly through collapsing void walls while Gwen's screaming at reality."
Ardyn ignores them both.
He's staring forward.
Toward a chakra signature so… pure, it almost hurts.
"He's close."
Village Center – A Different Naruto
This world's Naruto sits in the Hokage's office, sipping ramen, his paperwork done for once.
He senses the sky crack—but instead of panic, he feels… pulling.
Memories that aren't his.
Pain that's not his.
Then the door bursts open—and he walks in.
Ardyn.
Cloaked in Void.
Eyes glowing like collapsing stars.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Naruto asks, defensive.
Ben steps forward. "That's… complicated."
Lyra speaks first. "We're not here to fight. We're here because you hold something inside you—a fragment of a being called the Hollowborn."
Naruto squints. "You sound like Danzo if he watched anime."
Ardyn steps forward. "Do you dream of a boy you've never met?"
Naruto freezes.
Yes.
Every night.
A boy who looks like him—but older. Colder. Eyes like voidfire. Screaming through timelines.
Above – Invasion Begins
Dark Gwen's army descends. Buildings explode in silence. Reality lags as corrupted Lantern rings crash through the barrier. Sakura and Sasuke rise to fight—but these enemies predict their attacks before they move.
Obsidian tech. Anomalous precognition.
The enemy knows every version of them.
Except this one.
Naruto's Awakening
As the chaos unfolds, Naruto clutches his chest.
It burns.
Not like Kurama's chakra.
Deeper.
Older.
Suddenly, golden chakra surges from his core—tainted with black flame. Not evil… but cosmic.
Ben scans him.
"Oh no. He's synchronizing."
Lyra nods. "The Hollowborn's fragment is waking up inside him."
Ardyn draws his sword.
Naruto looks terrified.
"Are you gonna kill me?"
Ardyn doesn't answer.
Because he doesn't know.
Skies Above – Final Wave
Dark Gwen senses it.
"He's blooming. We're out of time."
She rips open a spatial gate and pulls out her trump card:
Sasuke Uchiha – Timeline Black.
A version who killed everyone, including himself—then was stitched together by fate to serve her.
This Sasuke appears in a swirl of corrupted Mangekyō fire.
"Retrieve the seed. Kill the rest."
Last Line – Ardyn vs Black Sasuke
They clash mid-air. Void energy meets Eternal Amaterasu. Sword meets sword. Space folds, chakra screams, and time shudders.
Naruto watches—torn between his reality and this cosmic madness.
Until Ben shouts, "If you don't choose a path, someone else will!"
Naruto roars—
And the Hollowborn fragment fully activates.
His body explodes with celestial energy—one eye turning gold, the other obsidian. Nine arms of chakra unfurl behind him—each one shaped like a different tailed beast.
He speaks in two voices.
"I remember now.
I was never meant to sleep."
Cliffhanger – World Ending Pulse
The entire sky bends. The village begins to float.
Dark Gwen smiles, even as her skin cracks from the pressure.
"Yes… YES… awaken, Hollowborn!
Awaken so we can finally break you!"
And at the heart of the chaos—Ardyn realizes:
Naruto isn't just a fragment.
He's the catalyst.
[CHAPTER END | NEXT: Hollowborn Rising – When Gods Remember Who They Were]